Journey toward Freedom

Ravenous: A Food Lover’s Journey from Obsession to Freedom By Dayna Macy was featured on the dailySpark blog today. She allowed SparkPeople to reprint Chapter 14, "The Practice of Food". What particularly struck me from Macy's memoir as detailed in Chapter 14 was the following paragraph:

Even at this stage of my journey, I can see that being in a lighter body is complicated. Weight can obscure many things, including lust, sadness, loneliness, anxiety, and anger. As I lose weight and my buffer loosens, I am forced to grapple with these states more directly. I practice patience -- it takes the body and the mind time to learn to move through the world in a different way.

I can so relate to this. As I have said, this weight loss journey started out being about getting healthy, fit, and dropping the excess pounds. What it has turned out to be is something much more. The root of what got me fat over and over again had to be discovered and addressed. I ask you to ponder another very important point Macy makes; one that I hope you understand as much as I have learned to:

I’ve learned that my mind and my body are equals, that they are completely entwined, and that each needs the other’s intelligence and wisdom to be whole. And I’ve learned that consciousness may be the beginning of transformation, but consciousness in action continues it.

The learning and discovery of me is not over. It evolves daily; moment by moment. I embrace the journey now, but it doesn't mean that it is easy or has become second-nature for me. Living in one's own skin and embracing the you that you are in each of those moments takes work and practice. Learn it. Live it. Love it. Embrace YOU in this moment and each one to follow.

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